Trepidation (33 page)

Now, we just have to wait for Z and his gang to wave their little white flag,
I thought. If the hybrids don’t eat them first. We’d taken down Charlie, Z’s men were almost out of the way, and the only catastrophes we really had to deal with were the hybrids and the disease that was coursing through my veins.

Max’s men jumped into action, and the room thundered with gunfire. Most of the hybrids who were fighting had been shot in the head. Bullets pelted the walls as Max’s team fought like trained military commandos. Max was a brave leader, and his troops were just as courageous and bold as he was.

When Max made his way over to us, he saw Steven and bent down to feel for a pulse. “Was he hit?” he asked me.

“He was...avenging his dad’s death, and he got knocked out in the process.”

His eyes widened in shock. “Charlie’s dead?”

I pointed to his lifeless body.

“Get Steven to safety,” Max commanded. “I’ll cover you so you can get to the door.”

“Got it,” one of his men answered. He threw Steven over his shoulder as easily as a linebacker hoisting a sack of potatoes, then carried him out of the lab.

Max and his other men stood up and started firing again.

Suddenly, horrifying screams echoed through the room, and panic ensured. I peered over and realized the men we had killed during the shootout had turned into zombies, and they were attacking Z’s gang. Max let out a rapid-fire round and the first line of zombies dropped to the ground.

One zombie made it through the rain of bullets and swiftly headed in my direction. I shot it, and it fell forward, slamming its face on the floor. I jumped down as more gunfire flew at me. Crisscrossing fire echoed all around me, and bodies continued to fall. I continued to fire through the ear-shattering noise of shells exploding all around me. I was quick and accurate and made every shot count.

“I’m hit,” Z finally shouted. “Cease fire!” He crashed to the floor, and his few remaining, unzombefied men ran to his aid.

Max motioned for us to stop.

“Since when do we take orders from a psychopath?” I asked.

Max ignored my comment and pointed his gun directly at Z.

Z stood up and looked at us, then down at the blood saturating the floor. “Listen,” he said. “I came here for the same reason you did—to kill Charlie and those hybrids, so he wouldn’t send them after me. My men already took down most of Charlie’s undead army. A few got out and came up here to fight. You should be thanking me because I killed rooms full of those freaks. I’d never seen anything like it before in all my life. Charlie had to die, one way or another. He was a menace to society.”

Like this guy has any room to talk,
I thought.

Claire stood up, and Nick tried to pull her behind the table, but Max held him back.

“We’ve got a plan,” Max whispered. “Just let this play out.”

“Then let me go, not Claire,” I offered. “I’m a dead man anyway.”

“He’ll see right through you,” Max said, shaking his head.

I drew a sharp breath. I didn’t want Claire anywhere near Z’s men, because I knew they’d love to make an example out of her. Every one of their guns was trained on her as she approached them, and I held my breath.

Claire dropped her weapon, and it clattered to the floor. “I want to switch teams, Z. You killed those hybrids. Clearly, Max can’t protect me like you can.”

Z coughed. “It’s too late for that, love. I’m dying...and I only have one dying wish.” He picked up a walkie-talkie and said, “Do it.”

“Do what?” Claire said.

“The stupid hybrids left some bombs behind, and now we’ll put them to good use. There are no teams anymore. We’re all going to die together. If I’m going out, you’re coming with me.”

“Call it off!” she demanded.

“It’s too late for that, sweetheart.” He pointed his rifle at Claire’s head. “You were supposed to die in that warehouse, so we’ll just have to take care of it now.”

Just as he started to pull the trigger, Claire threw a grenade right at him. Just like that, she had the revenge she’d sought for so long.

Z’s crazed eyes widened in horror as he took his final breath.

At that exact moment, Max’s men launched a slew of grenades toward Z’s men.

The explosions shook the room, and smoke swirled.

Everything was a blur as people scattered and shouted all around me. I thought back to the first time I’d met Claire, that little scared girl. Now, she’d taken down the most vicious enemy we’d ever faced. Her transformation boggled my mind.

That murderous pig was dead, along with crazy Charlie. Fairport had just eliminated two of its biggest threats and nutcases, and the city could live in peace. Max had once only cared about the people in the apartment complex, but when the citizens of his little utopia had been willing to step up and fight alongside him, he began to see them in a new light. Now, he vowed to protect everyone in Fairport and would help anyone who came to the city.

We all roared as we charged Z’s remaining men, taking them by surprise. Bullets flew over my head, but I proceeded, ready to take out all memory of Z once and for all. If I was going to die, I was going to die a hero. I squeezed off shot after shot as we made our advance, and a dozen more dropped.

A victory cheer erupted as the last of them fell. 

I tried to walk but missed a step. I was so drowsy, and it was hard to keep my eyes open. I’d always been a fighter, but I didn’t know how to fight a deadly disease, and we had no idea how to find the antidote.

Val wrapped an arm around me and led me out of the lab as more gunfire flew over our heads.

Nick and Lucas motioned for us to stay put while they cleared the way of a few stragglers, mostly zombies stumbling around in confusion.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Val said.

I couldn’t breathe or think or speak as it all sank in.

“How do you feel?” When I didn’t answer, she asked again. “Dean?”

I fought to keep my eyes open. “Drowsy.”

She looked at Claire with a serious expression on her face. “Anthrax doesn’t kill as quickly as Charlie said, and it doesn’t make you feel drowsy this fast. It starts out with stomach flu-like symptoms. Keep an eye on him. I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?” Claire asked.

“To get that vial Charlie set on the table after he injected Dean. I need to see what he actually gave him.”

“This place is gonna blow,” Claire said.

Val forced back the quiver in her voice. “Well, if it does, it won’t matter what Charlie did.” With that, she darted off through the smoke, heading back into the lab.

“This way,” Nick said.

“We’ve gotta wait on Val,” Claire said.

“What? Where is she?”

“She went back in the lab, to check on the crap Charlie gave Dean.”

“She what!?” He motioned for us to continue, then darted off after her.

Just as we reached the stairwell, I heard a faint scream. My stomach dropped. “Do you hear that?” I asked. “It sounded like a woman.”

“Or a hybrid.”

“What if Charlie’s holding Jackie prisoner? We should check it out.”

Claire swallowed hard, and beads of sweat ran down her face, but she nodded.

I veered off toward the scream with Claire right behind me. I knew the place was in danger of blowing up at any minute, but I wasn’t sure how much faith we could put in anything Z said; the man was an expert at bluffing. Still, I had to know who was screaming. Shawn’s words about Jackie and the Polaroids still lingered in my head, and Charlie somehow knew about the bag of serum; no one else could have told him but Sam or Larry. All of that left me with reasonable doubt that Jackie was dead, and if she was alive—even as a hybrid—I had to find her. 

Through the fog in my head, I could hear Nick, Lucas, and Val yelling for me. I followed the woman’s voice to a padded room. The tiny window in the locked door was broken, which was the only reason we could hear her. I peeked in, but it was dark to see who it was. 

“What are you doing!?” Nick yelled as he caught up with us.

I looked at Claire, and a tear rolled down her face. “I have to know,” I whispered. “Even if I’m dying, I have to know.”

She nodded. “Me too.” She then shot off the lock and swung the heavy door open.

“Dean! Claire!” the woman yelled. 

Time stood still. My Jackie was alive, cured, and human.
Charlie wasn’t lying. There is a cure!
“Jackie?” I whispered.

C
laire wept as she embraced her cousin in a tight hug.

Next, it was my turn. I looked into her beautiful eyes and touched her sweet face, then pulled her into an embrace. I was sure I was on my way to death, thanks to Charlie, but I was relatively certain Jackie wasn’t there to take me to the other side. She certainly didn’t look like the Grim Reaper to me.

“I’m dying,” I said. “Charlie injected me with Anthrax. He’s dead and we don’t have an antidote.”

“What?” she asked, her voice wavering.

How cruel was fate? I’d been mourning Jackie’s death for so long, and then when I finally had her back, it was my turn to leave. Shakespeare himself couldn’t haven written a scene about star-crossed lovers any better. I’d probably get one last kiss from her lips before I slipped away. Then she’d mourn my death. Star-crossed meant unlucky, and I was sure that was me and Jackie’s fate. Maybe we were doomed from the start. 

Suddenly, an explosion to the north boomed in the air.

“We’ve got to go,” Lucas said. “We stay in here much longer, we’re gonna be mincemeat!”

I couldn’t stop staring at Jackie’s beautiful face, and then I shut my eyes and let go.

***

W
hen I opened my eyes, Sparkles was licking me. I petted her and tried to make out where I was. Clearly, we were back in the apartment, but I wasn’t lying on my tiny bunk bed. Instead, I was all cozy in a huge, king-sized bed, covered with several soft blankets. At that point, I realized they’d put me in Lucas’s room.

“He’s awake,” Val said, walking to the door.

“Val?” I whispered.

“I’m right here,” she said. “I haven’t left your side.”

So many questions flooded my mind. Fear and panic settled in my stomach as reality set in. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I could barely get the words out. “Did you find any of the scientists? How much time do I have left?”

Nick rushed to my side. “You sure gave us one heck of a scare.”

“Yeah, but...how am I still alive?” I asked. Droplets of sweat rolled down my face, and I knew I was still dying. I was sure my brother would want my last days to be the most comfortable he could make him, and that was probably why they’d put me in those luxury accommodations.

“You’re a survivor,” Asia said.

“I’m so hot,” I whispered. “I know I’m dying from a 106-degree fever. Sugarcoating my death isn’t gonna make me feel any better. If the prognosis isn’t good, I need to know.”

“Nobody’s dying today,” Val said triumphantly.

Nick peeled a couple layers of blankets off of me. “You’re sweating up a storm under all these.”

Kate chuckled. “Sorry. It was freezing in here. In case you didn’t notice, there’s a blizzard out there.”

I glanced out the window and saw tons of snow pouring down. I still couldn’t fathom that I was alive. “You must’ve found the antidote,” I said softly, still in a bit of a fog.

“Nope,” Val retorted.

I bit my lip hard. “Then I am dying?”

“Like I told you...nope!” She held up a small glass vial. “After Charlie injected you, I grabbed this so we’d know what he really gave you. He lied. It wasn’t anthrax.”

“What was it?” I asked.

“Valium. It was all a bluff.”

“So I’m not going to die?” I whispered.

She grinned from ear to ear. “Nope.”

I couldn’t believe I’d survived yet another close call. I’d been given so many second, third, and fourth chances, in spite of all the death and devastation around me. I couldn’t even explain how it felt to survive after thinking I was going to die. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world, and I wanted to scream and shout. A million emotions flooded my mind. One thing the zombie apocalypse taught me was how precious each moment was and how easily life could be snatched away. I’d thought my life was over the second Charlie’s needle pierced my skin, but I’d survived again, and I vowed, then and there, to make every day count.

I shot my sister a hard look. “Wait...why didn’t you tell me the second you found out?”

“Because there was gunfire and grenades—not to mention, a building was about to blow up. I tried to tell you, but you collapsed. Lucas carried you out to safety.”

“Yeah, man, and you need to go on a diet or something,” Lucas joked. “Only half a can of tuna for you from now on.”

“Did the building explode?” I asked.

“It’s pretty demolished. Max and his men stuck around to make sure no hybrids survived. What do you remember?”

“Well, the end is fuzzy, but I dreamt I found Jackie, that she was alive. She’d been cured, and she was the most beautiful sight.”

Val smiled and patted my hand.

I continued, “It was the best dream ever. I just wish I didn’t have to wake up.”

“Oh, I guarantee you’ll be glad naptime’s over,” Lucas chimed in.

I raised an eyebrow.

“It wasn’t a dream,” Claire said, letting tears slip down her face.

“What?” I asked.

She grinned widely. “We did it, Dean!” she said, squeezing my hand. “We found Jackie and saved her.”

Right on cue, the door creaked open, and Jackie’s brilliant smile lit up the room.

I was speechless. My feelings were overwhelming and intense, rushing over me like a tidal wave. It was like looking at a calm blue sky after being caught in a seemingly endless hurricane. In that very moment, I could have sworn I heard my dead heart beating again. The person I’d grieved over, the person I’d thought was dead, the person I’d missed so much was standing right there in front of me, alive and breathing, smiling at me. I blinked, and my stomach dropped. She was a vision in a tight black sweater and black jeans, with her dark hair hanging in loose ringlets around her shoulders. My heart beat so hard that it felt as if it would rip through my chest at any moment. I wanted to touch her to make sure she wasn’t an illusion, a mere hallucination like the hundreds of dreams I’d had of her. “Jackie?” I said, my voice wavering.